Page 63 of Waylaid in Whittier

“Carter Morley.”

“Carter?” Wanda and Elvira exchanged a quick glance. “My brother didn’t say anything about Carter.”

“Your brother wasn’t one of the cops who showed up asking questions. He may not have heard yet.”

“Why do they think it’s Carter?” Wanda asked.

“While they were here questioning me, I got to thinking about it. I was working the night of your attack and remembered seeing Morley leave and come back in the bar after you and Elvira argued.”

Millie lifted her eyes, studying the ceiling. “I see you have cameras. I’m sure the investigators went over the video recordings.”

“They would have had they been working. I have a wiring issue and need to get an electrician to come by. They’re on the fritz.” Lyle leaned his elbows on the counter. “Other than yourbandage, you look pretty good for someone who got hit with a crowbar.”

“Like I was just telling Elvira and the others, I have excellent reflexes and only got grazed during the attack.” Wanda turned to the side and showed him her bandage. “The clunk could’ve been worse.”

“I’m glad to see you’re going to be all right. Maybe it’s a good thing the gold mining season is ending,” he said.

“Right?” Wanda squirted a glob of catsup on the edge of her plate. “Elvira and I are gonna be partners.”

“You still have your eye on Mount Baldie?”

“Yeah.” Elvira bit into her pickle. “The place is huge, with a lot of ground to cover. Having a partner makes more sense.”

The group made small talk, and Lyle eventually walked away.

Millie waited until he was gone. “I hate to say it, but Carter Morley is looking more and more like the person who attacked Wanda.”

“It seems we’re all going in the same direction. Proving it’s him might be tricky,” Sharky said. “We searched Gold Morley’s place before we got here.”

“I knew old Gold. Did you find anything?” Wanda asked.

“Nope.” He gave her a thumbs down. “It was clean as a whistle.”

“And creepy as all get out,” Millie added.

“Someone was murdered there.”

Millie’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding.”

Wanda grinned. “Yeah, I’m kidding. It would make a great story for a scary movie, though.”

“Sounds like a place I want to avoid.” Elvira gobbled up her burger and slurped her soda. “The food was delish.”

“It appears the authorities are on top of the investigation. The issue now is confirming it was Carter,” Millie said.

“Wanda and I are gonna hide out near Mount Baldie tomorrow morning to see if Carter shows up while the team is working on their final taping of the season.”

“Like Lyle mentioned, Alaska’s DNR—the Department of Natural Resources is shutting the mining sites down for the season after tomorrow,” Wanda explained. “If he’s gonna make a move, it will have to be within the next few hours.”

“How early are we talking?” Millie began mentally calculating whether she could fit a stakeout into her schedule.

“The team heads up at eight,” Elvira said. “I figure if we’re in position at 7:30, we can stake out our spot and catch whoever it is.”

“I’m in,” Sharky said. “I can make it.”

“Me too,” Millie said. “I think we’re close to figuring this out.”

After finishing their meal, the group piled into Elvira’s truck. She dropped Wanda off first, promising to pick her up in the morning before they drove off.

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